The last stage in the life history of the European conger eel Conger conger: a transformation before death.
Pietro BattagliaDavid SmithGiovanni AmmendoliaMauro CavallaroTeresa MaggioPierpaolo ConsoliMaria C GuerreraFranco AndaloroTeresa RomeoPublished in: Journal of fish biology (2019)
The taxonomic, morphological and meristic features of a dark eel caught by commercial trawling off the Gulf of Patti, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, February 17, 2017, showed it to be a female Conger conger. Histological analysis of gonads demonstrated that the individual was in a post-spawning phase. X-ray radiographs showed widespread decalcification of skeleton and teeth loss, confirming a strong mobilisation of somatic energy reserves needed for reproductive development.